Nightfall

The newest DLC for Call of Duty: Ghosts, Onslaught, has added a new Extinction map called Nightfall. This time around you will be battling the alien menace at a remote science facility in the snow covered hills.

What's New

Jumping in to the new map, you will probably wonder what new things have been added. The most noticeable one will be the new challenges. Many new ones have been added, most of which are fairly simple and easy to accomplish. Of note, there is one that has you stand in a circle and kill enemies from inside it.

You will also come across a new enemy. It looks like a normal Hunter class alien, but it will glow blue instead. This new alien can actually teleport, and he will do so constantly, teleporting towards a target, hitting it then teleporting back to a safe location. They can be a pain to kill, but they are quite useful as allies, so if you have a Hypno Knife, do your best to land it on him so you have your own teleporting alien friend.

The last new thing is an ongoing mechanic through all sections of the Nightfall map. Like Point of Contact, there are searchable containers spread around the map. Inside, there is a small chance to find a Locker Key. They spawn randomly, and can be used to open special lockers spread throughout the level. Each of these lockers will contain a random, upgraded weapon. It won't come with any special powers, it will just be equipped with various attachments and camouflage

Strategies

Section 1

The very first area is naturally the easiest, so take this time to get your teamwork going, discuss who will do what and upgrade what skills. As always, the key to success is teamwork, so make sure you are all communicating and that you have a diverse team. Ideally one of each class should be picked, as having 2 or 3 of the same type will greatly limit your overall performance.

An ongoing mechanic in Nightfall involves special weapon lockers and some keys. Make sure to take the time to search all the loot containers to try and find the keys for these lockers. There are multiples throughout the map and they contain free, highly upgraded weapons.

Once ready, you can tackle the hives. The order isn't terribly important, although if you found the Locker Keys, you may want to open the hive on the top of the building that blocks your path to the lockers. Like in Point of Contact, the first few hives are important not for the hive itself, but the challenges you get. These early challenges tend to be easier to complete, and the more you do now, the better your group will do later. The starting couple tend to be easy, like meleeing 15 enemies.

Pro Tip: If you get the challenge that requires you to maintain a certain accuracy, have one player fire a single bullet, and make sure they do not miss. This will give you a 100% accuracy rating. Now for the rest of the wave only use your knife. By doing this you will not lose the 100%, guaranteeing you complete the challenge.

The Breeder Boss

After killing the hives, a yellow marker will appear on the fence. Approach it and the large alien from the beginning will appear and you must fight it. The boss has three main abilities. The first is his most powerful. He will start charging up, in a very obvious animation, and after a few moments will begin spraying hundreds of bullets at you. Make sure to get behind cover the moment you see the animation beginning as you risk death since this attack does tons of damage. His next attack will see him shooting a red pod from his tail into the air, where it will explode and rain down red mist onto various locations of the map. This attack functions the same as a scorpions yellow acid, so just stand clear of it and you won't die. The final ability the boss has is non aggressive. He will launch yellow eggs around the map that will grow in size until they burst and an alien comes out. It is best to shoot these if you can, if they die to player bullets than the alien won't spawn, saving you some hassle.

There are 2 challenges associated with this boss. The first is the egg one which is quite easy. Simply kill 10 eggs during the fight before they hatch. They spawn 3-4 at a time, so it can be done quite quickly. The second challenge tasks you with killing him in a specified time. This can be done very easily if your team all have the Grenade Launchers and Deathmachine powers. Use them on the boss liberally to see his health disppear in seconds.

Actually killing the boss comes down to teamwork. Your team should set up turrets, but not to attack the alien boss, instead have them set up facing your team so they can be used to protect you from the other smaller aliens that spawn. Your main damage dealer should focus on damaging the boss with their heavy weapons while the other members of the squad deal with any additional aliens. Even with just 1 Weapon Specialist, it shouldn't take long for him to whittle away the health of the boss.

The Breeder is fairly stationary, he won't walk anywhere, just turn to face his target, so this makes shooting him pretty easy. This is good, since his only weak point is the red, glowing section of his face. Using the mounted turret that faces him can deal some good damage, and is a great weapon for players who aren't the Weapon Specialist to use. Players on your team who are the Weapon Specialist should be using an LMG to lay down constant fire into the boss. An LSAT can be found in the locker room, or even obtained from the locker if you are lucky. With good aim, it only takes a few clips to tear down the Breeder's health.

Sections 2 & 3

After fighting off the Breeder, he will make a hasty exit and you will be able to walk through where he was. Grab your money and bring the drill to this new section, then set it down somewhere safe as you explore and try to find some more keys and any additional items. Once ready, place the drill and get ready for the next series of aliens.

The second section of the map, as you might expect, will be tougher, but not overwhelmingly so. Scorpions will be making a regular appearance now, so make sure to check for them often. The pools of acid they leave behind are incredibly dangerous, so they need to be dealt with quickly. Rhinos will also begin spawning, generally only 1 per hive, but that can increase to 2 for later ones. When they appear, all players should focus fire them down and ideally your Weapon Specialist should burn some cash to pull out a Grenade Launcher or Deathmachine to really hammer away their health.

For section 2, the best offense you can have is a good defense. Before beginning each hive, place down turrets so that they cover you and the drill. If challenges have been going in your favor, your team should each have 1 maxed out skill tree at this point, so your Weapon Specialist will be dishing out tons of damage while everyone else supports with turrets, ammo and armor. Make sure to stick together, teamwork is key and having someone run off to be a lone wolf will just result in the team getting killed.

When you get to the final hive for this section, expect a large battle. Things can get pretty hectic at this final hive, so be prepare accordingly. Make sure ammo is topped up, turrets are in place and everyone is in a good position. Keep watch for any Scorpions, and when the Rhino spawns make sure everyone turns to blast him away. Once the hive is down, the Breeder shows up, just long enough to smash some stuff and let you into the facility, giving you access to section 3.

Section 3 is a repeat of 2, expect in much tighter quarters. If challenges have gone well, your group should have 2 maxed skills now. This will mean the Weapon Specialist can carry 2 primary weapons, while the rest of your team should have their traits maxed as well as ammo, turrets and armor. The same strategies for section 2 of the map are used here. Since everything is much closer together, your turrets will be even more valuable. Players should stick close to one another, but make sure not to be back to back, as that just invites Scorpions to hit everyone with one well placed acid pool.

There is one hive that is quite important in this section. In the middle of the room on the ground floor, a hive is blocking the entrance to a weapons room. Inside is a strange gun. Make sure that you pick them up. It is a Venom weapon, and it is invaluable against the boss. It fires a green, sticky, remote bomb. It can be used against any alien, but its true purpose will become apparent when you reach the boss. It also doesn't take up a weapon slot, so you can carry it, plus all your normal weapons.

After destroying the starting hives in the room, a new one will spawn at the top and the room will grow foggy. Climb up there and place your turrets so that they face inwards, towards the hive. This is best, as the aliens come up to attack you and the hive, your turrets will shoot them off you. The toughest part of this hive is the constant Scorpion acid being fired from around the room. Make sure to be vigilant in your watch for them and kill them quickly. Near the end of the drilling process, a Rhino will spawn. Make sure to focus it down, burning extra money to equip Grenade Launchers and Deathmachines to make sure the Rhino dies. Upon clearing this hive, a wall will crumble allowing you to leave the facility.

Section 4 - Breeder Boss Returns

The Breeder returns for some revenge. He has the same three attacks from earlier, so make sure to dodge them when necessary. If you stay on the elevated platform to the left of the area, then you can simply lay down to avoid his shrapnel spray. Additional aliens will also spawn throughout the fight, just like before. Don't waste money trying to defend from them, simply stick together and work as a team to kill them quickly while inflicting damage on the boss.

This fight can drag on, so make sure not to waste money on turrets until the boss reaches 50% health. Dropping turrets to earlier is just a waste. The same goes for any other defensive items. Money should be saved for ammo, armor and power weapons like the Deathmachine.

Once the boss reaches 50%, he will climb off map and a huge wave of aliens will spawn, along with 3 Rhinos. It's at this point that you should throw down your turrets. If you still have extra money, spend it on buying power weapons. 3 Rhinos is no joke, so the more Grenade Launchers and Deathmachines you can bring to the fight the better. Stick close to your turrets and spray bullets liberally until the Rhinos drop and the boss returns.

Once back, the boss battle returns to normal, with one new mechanic. Around the map are three rocky pillars. In front of them are small, round bulbs. It looks like a hive, but has a flower growing out of it. These can be shot and killed, and must be in order to win. If they remain alive, the boss will eat them to heal. He does this about once a minute and it can make the fight nearly impossible to win. These orbs will respawn frequently, so make sure to keep a watchful eye out for them and kill them the moment you can.

Remember how we said the Venom gun is incredibly useful here? Well the reason why, is that when you fire it at the boss, there is a chance it will stun him, causing him to fall to the ground. Players can use this opportunity to rush towards the boss and fill his face with bullets. He is only stunned for 10-15 seconds, but that is enough time to end the fight if everyone has Deathmachines.

As long as your team is able to kill the orbs that heal the boss, the fight will play out just like the first 50% of his health. Stun him with the Venom weapon if you can, if not attack him at range using whatever weapons you can. Make sure to stick together as a team and call out for ammo and armor often. There will be no more surprises, so just be cautious and you will win the fight, beating Nightfall and snagging a new achievement.